As many individuals, businesses, schools, and other organizations throughout Southern California get ready to “drop, cover, and hold” for the Great Southern California ShakeOut Drill on November 13 (www.shakeout.org), Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) will conduct its own emergency preparedness training at Moorpark College, Oxnard College, Ventura College, and the District Administrative Center to coincide with the ShakeOut event.

VCCCD has been working with West Coast Consulting for the past year to prepare and train employees at all three campuses and the District Administrative Center for emergency situations of all types, including earthquakes, floods, fires, an active shooter, or crimes in progress. “These trainings enable us to test our response to simulated emergency situations and provide valuable information we can use to evaluate how best to protect our students, employees, and members of the community in the event of an actual emergency,” said Dr. James Meznek, Chancellor. “While we hope these situations will never happen, it is essential we be prepared.”

Moorpark College and Oxnard College will hold training exercises on Thursday, November 13, while Ventura College and the District Administrative Center will hold training exercises on Friday, November 14. Designated employee emergency team members will be given emergency situation scenarios and expected to act based on prior training. Peter Wright, Director of Emergency Planning and Preparedness for the California Community Colleges System Office, will be visiting Moorpark College to observe emergency team members in action.

In the event of a real emergency, VCCCD has several ways to alert students, staff, and the public. Employees and students can sign up to be notified by voice mail or text message through a mass notification system, emergency “blue” phones have been installed at the campuses, and the colleges are installing campus-wide speaker systems to broadcast emergency instructions. College and District Administrative Center websites are the place to find alerts and updates. Important information is posted regularly on website home pages at www.moorparkcollege.edu, www.oxnardcollege.edu, www.venturacollege.edu, and www.vcccd.edu.

The Ventura County Community College District is a partner in the 110-campus California Community College system. The District’s three colleges, Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura, offer programs in general education for transfer to four-year universities, occupational and vocational fields, developmental programs, community service and continuing education, and provide opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit us at www.vcccd.edu.